Bonny Doon Vineyard

Bonny Doon Vineyard is a winery in Santa Cruz, California, that focuses on terroir wines. Founded by Randall Grahm in 1983, it is perhaps best known for its quirky labels, eccentric mix of grapes, and humorously-named wines—like its flagship wine, "Le Cigare Volant". It was amongst the first Californian wineries to embrace Rhone varietals, and entered the national spotlight in 1989, after Grahm appeared on the cover of Wine Spectator as "The Rhone Ranger."

The winery achieved large-scale commercial success with brands like Big House Red and Cardinal Zin, before "doon-sizing" its portfolio in 2006 to refocus its efforts on "terroir" wines and biodynamic practice. Bonny Doon Vineyard continues to be known for its unique label artwork, sourcing designs from artists like Chuck House, Grady McFerrin, Ralph Steadman and Gary Taxali, and more recently for its use of biodynamic practice. It was among the first premium winemakers to adopt screw caps for its wines in 2001, and in 2008 pioneered the use of transparent ingredient labeling on all of its wines.

According to Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon Vineyard began as "a foolish attempt to replicate Burgundy in California," but after difficulty creating the "Great American Pinot Noir," he realized that Rhone Varietals would be better suited to the Central Coast climate. Grahm began experimenting with Rhone grapes and blended wines, and in 1986, Bonny Doon Vineyard released its inaugural vintage (1984) of Le Cigare Volant, an homage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a wine that would become the winery's flagship label.

After the vines in its own vineyard were destroyed by Pierce's disease in 1994, Bonny Doon supported its wine production by purchasing grapes from other California vineyards, as well as vineyards in Oregon (including Bethel Heights Vineyard) and Europe. The winery grew significantly in this period with its popular Cardinal Zin, Big House and Pacific Rim labels, reaching peak production in 2006, after selling more than 450,000 cases of wine.

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